    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 14, 2004]
    [Pages 2506-2513]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Las Vegas, Nevada
    October 14, 2004

        The President. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you all for coming.
    I appreciate you all being here. With only 19 days to the election, the
    finish line is in sight, and Nevada will be a part of a great nationwide
    victory in November, the 2d.
        I'm proud to be on stage with so many of the Governors, the Nation's
    Governors. I'm a member of the ex-Governors club. They'll be a member of
    that club one day soon. [Laughter] I know these folks really well.
    They're hard-working. They bring people together to get the job done in
    their States. They focus on results, and that's what I've done as your
    President, and that's what I'll do for 4 more years.
        I want to thank our host, Governor Kenny Guinn, for his hospitality. It wasn't very hard to get the
    Governors to come to Vegas--[laughter]--to begin a road trip. The next 2
    days, they're going to travel our country to tell people that leadership
    matters. They're going to tell the people that the best way to make sure
    America has strong and steady and principled leadership is to put Dick
    Cheney and me back into office.
        It's great to be in the home of the Running Rebels. And that's what
    I'm doing: I'm running, and I'm not going to stop until election day.
    Look, my only regret is that Laura is not here to
    see this crowd. She's right around the corner at the AARP convention. So
    the convention said, ``Send your best speaker.'' [Laughter] When I
    married Laura, she said, ``Fine, I'll marry you, so long as I never have
    to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.''
    Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that deal. When the people see her
    speak, they see a compassionate, strong, great First Lady.
        I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. He
    did a really good job in his debate. I admit it, he doesn't have the--he
    didn't have the waviest hair there on the set. [Laughter] I didn't pick
    him because of his hairdo. [Laughter] I picked him because of his
    experience, his judgment, his ability to get the job done for the
    American people.
        After this we're going to Reno, and then we're going up to Oregon,
    and I'm proud to be traveling with a great American in John
    McCain. I like traveling with John. We have a
    lot of fun. We laugh. We enjoy each other's company, and we share
    something in common: We both love our Nation.

    [[Page 2507]]

        I want to thank Senator John Ensign, the
    great Senator from Nevada, for being here today, and Congressman Jon
    Porter--make sure you put him back into
    office. Congressman Jim Gibbons from the
    northern part of this State is with us today as well. Congressman,
    thanks for coming. I want to thank all the State and local officials who
    are here.
        I want to thank my friend Lee Greenwood
    for entertaining the folks. Thank you for coming.
        I particularly want to thank the grassroots activists who are here,
    the people who are going to put up the signs and make the phone calls.
    I'm here to thank you in advance for what you're going to do over the
    course of the next 19 days. You're going to tell people they have a duty
    in our democracy to vote. Get them headed to the polls. But don't
    overlook discerning Democrats, people like Zell Miller. And when you get them headed to the polls, tell them if
    they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a better America, to
    put me and Dick Cheney back into office.
        We had a great debate last night. Those debates, all three debates,
    clarified the differences in our records, our approaches, and our plans
    for the future. I'm proud of my record. My opponent seemed to want to avoid talking about his. My record is
    one of lowering taxes, reforming education, providing prescription drugs
    to seniors, improving our homeland protection, and waging an aggressive
    war against the terrorists.
        The Senator's record is 20 years of out-
    of-the-mainstream votes without many significant reforms or results.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Our very different records are a window into what we
    believe and what we'll do in the next 4 years. The Senator believes in a bigger Government. I believe in more freedom
    and choices for our citizens. The Senator believes Government should
    dictate. I believe you should make the decisions.
        Sometimes it's a little hard to tell exactly what he believes--[laughter]--because he tries to obscure his
    votes. Take health care. Once again, last night, with a straight face--
    [laughter]--the Senator tried to say his health care plan is not a
    Government plan. [Laughter] Yet, 22 million new people will be enrolled
    in a Government program under his plan, the largest expansion of
    Government health care ever. Eighty percent of the newly insured on his
    plan would be placed on a Government program like Medicaid. The Senator
    claimed his plan would help small businesses, yet a study conducted by
    small-business groups this week concluded Senator Kerry's plan is an
    overpriced albatross.
        I have a different view. I want to make health care more available
    and affordable by helping small businesses, not saddling them with a
    bunch of Government rules.
        And once again, last night, with a straight face, the
    Senator, shall we say, refined his answer on
    the proposed ``global test'' he would administer before acting to defend
    America.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. After trying to say it wasn't really a test at all,
    last night he once again defended his
    approach, saying, ``I think it makes sense.'' [Laughter] The Senator now
    says we have to pass some international truth standard. Those are his
    words. The truth is, we should never turn over America's national
    security decisions to international bodies or leaders of other
    countries.
        In the last few years, the American people have gotten to know me.
    They know my blunt way of speaking. I get that from Mom. They know I sometimes mangle the English language.
    [Laughter] I get that from Dad. [Laughter]
    Americans also know that I tell you exactly what I'm going to do and I
    keep my word.
        When I came into office, the stock market had been in serious
    decline for 6 months. The American economy was sliding into a recession.
    To help families and get

    [[Page 2508]]

    this economy growing again, I pledged to reduce taxes. I kept my word,
    and the results are clear. The recession was one of the shallowest in
    American history.
        Over the last 3 years, our economy has grown at the fastest rate of
    any major industrialized nation. In the past 13 months, we've added 1.9
    million new jobs. The unemployment rate in America is at 5.4 percent,
    lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment
    rate in Nevada is 4 percent. The mining sector is strong. Farm and ranch
    income is up. More people are owning their own home.
        We're moving forward, and there is much more to do. To make sure
    quality jobs are created in America and to make sure people can find
    work, America must be the best place in the world to do business. That
    means we need to reduce the regulations on our job creators. We must end
    junk lawsuits, which are threatening the small businesses which create
    most new jobs.
        To keep jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy plan. My plan
    encourages conservation, encourages the use of renewables like ethanol
    and biodiesel. It encourages new technologies. It encourages clean coal
    technology and increased domestic production. To keep jobs here, our
    Nation must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        To protect jobs and communities in the West, we need to reduce the
    risk of devastating wildfires. That's why I was proud to sign the
    Healthy Forests Restoration Act. Under this good law, we are cleaning
    the underbrush that serves as fuel for fires. Because we acted, our
    forests are healthier; residents and small businesses are safer; and
    people across the West are better off.
        To create jobs, we need to reject economic isolationism and open up
    markets around the world for U.S. products. Americans can compete with
    anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the rules are fair. To create
    jobs, we need to be wise about how we spend your money and keep your
    taxes low.
        My opponent has his own history on the
    economy.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. In 20 years as a Senator from Massachusetts,
    he's built up quite a record--of a Senator
    from Massachusetts. [Laughter] He's voted to raise taxes 98 times.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That is a vote for a tax increase about five times
    every year.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I think that qualifies as a pattern. [Laughter]
    He can run from his record, but he cannot
    hide. Now he's promising not to raise taxes for anyone who earns less
    than $200,000 a year. The problem is, to keep that promise he would have
    to break almost all of his other ones. [Laughter] His plan to raise
    taxes in the top two income brackets would raise about $600 billion. But
    his spending promises will cost about 4 times that much, more than 2.2
    trillion. That's with a ``T.'' [Laughter] That's a lot even for somebody
    from Massachusetts. [Laughter] See, you can't have it both ways. To pay
    for all the big spending promises he made, he'll have to raise your
    taxes.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. The choice in this election is clear. My
    opponent has a history of voting for higher
    taxes, and he promised to raise them in this campaign. And that's the
    kind of promise a Washington politician usually keeps. [Laughter] I
    believe our families and our economy are better off when Americans keep
    more of what they earn. We will keep your taxes low.
        When I came into office, the public schools had been waiting for
    decades for hopeful reform. Too many of our children were shuffled
    through school without learning the basics. I pledged to restore
    accountability to the schools and end the soft bigotry of low
    expectations, and I kept my word. Seeing the results--our children are

    [[Page 2509]]

    making sustained gains in reading and math. We're closing the
    achievement gap for minority students. We're making progress for our
    families. We will leave no child behind.
        To build a more hopeful America, we must have the best prepared and
    most highly skilled workforce in the world. Most new jobs are filled by
    people with at least 2 years of college education, yet only about one in
    four of our students gets there. So we'll fund early intervention
    programs in our high schools to help at-risk students. We'll place a new
    focus on math and science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous
    examination before graduation from high school. By raising performance
    in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-
    income families, we'll help more Americans start their career with a
    college diploma.
        My opponent has a history on education
    issues, a history of doing almost nothing. [Laughter] The Senator has
    pledged to weaken the No Child Left Behind Act.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He has proposed diluting
    the accountability standards and looking at measures like teacher
    attendance to judge whether students are learning.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. His proposals would
    undermine the high standards and accountability we worked hard to pass.
    We're moving beyond the old days of failure and mediocrity and low
    standards, and we're not going to go back.
        When I came to office, we had a problem in Medicare. Medicine was
    changing, but Medicare wasn't. For example, Medicare would pay tens of
    thousands of dollars for heart surgery but wouldn't pay a dime for the
    prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being
    needed in the first place. It didn't make any sense for our seniors, and
    it didn't make any sense for our taxpayers. I pledged to bring
    Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen and modernize Medicare
    for our seniors, and I kept my word. The results are clear. Seniors are
    already getting discounts on medicines, and beginning in 2006, all
    seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
        We're moving forward on health care, and there's much more to do. We
    need to make health care more affordable and more available for all our
    people. We need a safety net for those with the greatest needs. I
    believe in community health centers, places where the poor and the
    indigent can get care. In a new term, we'll make sure every poor county
    in America has a community health center. We need to do more to make
    sure more children are fully subscribed in our programs for low-income
    families.
        We must do more to make sure health care is affordable. You know,
    most of the uninsured are employees of small businesses. Small
    businesses have trouble affording health care. To help more workers get
    health care, we should allow small businesses to join together so they
    can buy insurance at the same discounts that big companies do.
        To make sure health care is affordable, we have got to expand health
    savings accounts so workers in small businesses are able to pay lower
    premiums and people can save tax-free in a health care account they call
    their own.
        To make sure health care is available and affordable, we have got to
    do something about the junk lawsuits that are running up the costs of
    your health care. All the lawsuits force doctors to practice defensive
    medicine, which costs our Government about $28 billion a year. They cost
    our Nation's economy anywhere from 60 to 100 billion dollars a year. The
    lawsuits drive up insurance premiums, which drive good doctors out of
    practice.
        Today I met Dr. James Barber. Three years
    ago, Dr. Barber paid $27,000 in insurance premiums as an ob-gyn in
    Henderson. Last year's premiums would have been

    [[Page 2510]]

    more than $100,000. He had to stop delivering babies in Nevada. He's now
    practicing in California, where they have reasonable medical liability
    laws. His premiums in California are $33,000, 70 percent of what they
    would cost in Nevada.
        I also met one of his former patients, Nicole Byrne. She said Dr. Barber saved her life during a previous
    pregnancy. Now she's pregnant again, and she is devastated that Dr.
    Barber won't be able to deliver her babies.
    Nicole and Dr. Barber understand that you cannot be pro-patient and pro-
    doctor and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. You have to choose. My
    opponent made his choice, and he put a trial
    lawyer on the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs and
    patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
        The choice in this election is clear. My opponent wants to move in the direction of Government-run health
    care. I believe health decisions ought to be made by doctors and
    patients, not by officials in Washington, DC. I've set out policies that
    move America toward a positive and optimistic vision. I believe our
    country can and must be an ownership society. There's a saying that no
    one ever washes a rental car. [Laughter] There's a lot of wisdom in that
    statement. [Laughter] When you own something, you care about it and you
    have a vital stake in the future of our country.
        So we're encouraging entrepreneurship, because every time a small
    business is started, someone is achieving the American Dream. We're
    encouraging health savings accounts so people have the security of
    owning their own health care plan. We're promoting homeownership. More
    and more Americans own a home today. I love it when somebody opens the
    door of the place they live and says, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to
    my piece of property.''
        In a new term, I will take the next great step to build an ownership
    society by strengthening Social Security. Our Social Security system
    needs fixing. First, we'll make sure we keep the promise to those who
    are on Social Security today. I remember, in the 2000 campaign, those
    ads saying, ``If George W. gets elected, they're going to take away your
    check.'' Our seniors got their checks. Nobody is going to take away our
    seniors' checks. Baby boomers like me are going to be just fine when it
    comes to Social Security.
        But our children and our grandchildren are understandably worried
    about whether Social Security will be around when they need it, and we
    need to be concerned about them. For their sake, we must strengthen
    Social Security by allowing younger workers to save some of their
    payroll taxes in a personal account that Washington politicians can
    never take away. My opponent wants to maintain
    the status quo when it comes to Social Security.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That is unacceptable. He's
    against Social Security--these Social Security reforms. And he's just
    about against just about every other reform that gives more authority
    and control to individuals. On issue after issue, from Medicare without
    choices to schools with less accountability to higher taxes, he takes
    the side of more centralized control and more bureaucracy. There's a
    word for that attitude. It's called liberalism. Now, he dismisses that
    as a label--must have seen it differently when he said to a newspaper,
    ``I'm a liberal and proud of it.'' [Laughter]
        Others have noticed. The nonpartisan National Journal magazine did a
    study and named him the most liberal member of
    the United States Senate. And that's saying something. [Laughter]
    Another group known as the Americans for Democratic Action have given
    Senator Kerry a higher lifetime liberal rating than Senator Ted
    Kennedy, and that's an accomplishment.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. See, I have a different record and a different
    philosophy. I don't

    [[Page 2511]]

    believe in big Government, and I don't believe in indifferent
    Government. I am a compassionate conservative. I believe in policies
    that empower people to improve their lives, not try to run their lives.
        In this time of change, some things do not change. Those are the
    values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. In changing times, we will support the institutions that give
    our lives direction and purpose, our families, our schools, our
    religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every
    person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family,
    which are the foundations of our society. We stand for the appointment
    of Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and
    the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent's words on these issues are a
    little muddy, but his record is plenty clear. [Laughter] He says he
    supports the institution of marriage, but he voted against the Defense
    of Marriage Act, which a bipartisan Congress overwhelmingly passed and
    my predecessor signed into law. He voted against the ban on the brutal
    practice of partial-birth abortion.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He called himself the
    candidate of conservative values, but he has described the Reagan years
    as a time of moral darkness.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my
    opponent sits on the left bank. He can run,
    but he cannot hide.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. I believe the most solemn duty of the
    American President is to protect the American people. If America shows
    uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward
    tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we have
    fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power,
    but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is
    clear. We will defend the homeland. We'll strengthen our intelligence
    services. We'll transform the All-Volunteer Army, and we'll keep it an
    all-volunteer army. We will stay on the offensive. We will strike the
    terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. We will
    continue to spread freedom and liberty, and we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world as it was 3\1/2\
    years ago. Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida. Pakistan was a
    transit point for terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for
    terrorist fundraising. Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Iraq
    was a dangerous place and a gathering threat. And Al Qaida was largely
    unchallenged as it planned attacks.
        Because we acted, Afghanistan is a free nation fighting terror. And
    last Saturday, the people of Afghanistan voted for a President. Pakistan
    is capturing terrorist leaders. Saudi Arabia is making raids and
    arrests. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free
    Iraq is fighting for freedom. And more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's
    leaders and associates have been brought to justice.
        We've got an aggressive strategy to keep us safe, and we'll stand
    with the people of a free Afghanistan and Iraq. Think about what
    happened in Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long ago that the Taliban
    ran that country. Young girls couldn't even go to school. They were not
    only harboring terrorists; they had this dark ideology of hate. And
    people showed up in droves to vote. Freedom is powerful. People have
    gone from darkness to light, because of liberty. The first voter in the
    Afghan Presidential election was a 19-year-old woman.
        Iraq is headed toward elections. See, free societies in the Middle
    East will be hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments and
    breed violence for export. Free governments in the Middle East will
    fight the terrorists instead of harboring them, and that helps us keep
    the peace. Our mission

    [[Page 2512]]

    is clear. We'll help the countries train their armies and their police
    so they can do the hard work of defending democracy. We'll help them get
    on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible, then our
    troops will come home with the honor they have earned.
        We have got a great United States military. I want to thank all the
    veterans who are here for having set such a great example for those who
    wear today's uniform. I want to thank the military families who are with
    us today for their sacrifices. And I want to assure the families, we'll
    keep the commitment I made to our troops. We will make sure they have
    all the resources they need to complete their missions.
        And that's why I went to the United States Congress in September of
    2003 and asked for an $87 billion supplemental request, money necessary
    to support those troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. We received great
    bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, only 12 United States Senators
    voted against the supplemental request, the funding, 2 of whom are my
    opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When you're out gathering the vote, remind your
    fellow citizens that only four United States Senators voted to authorize
    the use of force and then against sending the money to support them in
    harm's way, two of whom--two of those four--are my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. You might remember my opponent's famous quote, when
    asked about that vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87
    billion, before I voted against it.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now, he's given a lot of explanations since that one.
    One of the most interesting ones is when he finally said, ``Well, the
    whole thing is a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe that
    millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their freedom. I
    believe women want to grow up in a free society and raise their children
    in a free society. I believe that if given a chance, the people of the
    Middle East will embrace the most honorable form of government ever
    devised by man. I believe all these things because freedom is not
    America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each
    man and woman in this world.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. You know, there are quiet times in the life of a nation when
    little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. It's a
    time that requires firm resolve and clear vision and a deep faith in the
    values that makes us a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers in hardhats
    yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' Governor
    Pataki was with me. He knows--he remembers
    those workers and those police and firefighters coming out of the
    rubble, bloodshot eyes. A guy grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do
    not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up every morning trying
    to figure out how best to defend this country. I will never relent in
    defending America, whatever it takes.
        Four years ago, when I traveled your State asking for the vote, I
    made this pledge: If you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the
    honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With
    your help, I will do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all.

    [[Page 2513]]

    Note: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gov. Kenny C. Guinn of Nevada; entertainer
    Lee Greenwood; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the keynote
    address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; and Gov. George E.
    Pataki of New York.